As much as I want to say I am shocked by what happened at the Capitol recently, deep down I am not that surprised.
A strong undercurrent of division has made its way into our nation, widening the gap between Americans, tearing Brothers and Sisters in Christ apart.
It’s a heavy reality to hold and a painful story to see.
And yet.
God is faithful. He never leaves us and part of that can be experienced through His living and active Word. Scripture remains an unchanging source of wisdom and certainty when waves of emotions rage and wrongs outnumber the right.
Jesus Is the Truth
Because our society has been ruptured--fractured exponentially as the enemy works hard to make people choose a side--we are now walking out the consequences of centuries worth of pain. Conflict has bred contempt and disagreement has led to disdain. Meanwhile, America is confused and scared.
We don’t know what to do or who we can trust.
But Jesus tells us plainly the answer we long to hear: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT)
No matter what anyone tells you, the truth isn’t unknown. It’s been unveiled through a Person.
We can look at Christ’s life as a basis for what to do, and when Jesus experienced turmoil, He always turned to His Father and used Scripture as His sword.
Psalm 119 says, “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.” (v.28-30)
As we tread cautiously through these turbulent times, may we set our hurting hearts on the faithfulness found in the Bible. I pray the following passages will help you (and I!) process through the current environment of our country. Strengthen us, Lord, according to Your Word!
7 truths to cling to while the nation is divided:
1. God Loves Us All
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8 ESV).
There are no exceptions here, dear friend. Christ died for the entire world, and it does not matter where you stand on the political spectrum. God’s passion is the same.
Unlike us, He is always full of mercy and grace. He is slow to anger and anchored in unending love. He wants everyone to come to Him and experience freedom in its most beautiful form.
And we, as God’s children especially, are called to love others like He loves us.
2. God Is our Confident Hope and He Won’t Disappoint
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT).
Any time we place our hope in anything besides our Creator, we will be disappointed. Candidates. Leaders. Government systems or ideas. Everything outside of Jesus will fade. But when we look to God as the source of hope, we’ll be filled with peace and joy because our confidence rests in our lasting relationship with Him.
He’s our Rock who won’t be shaken.
3. Jesus Is Supreme and Victory Belongs to Him
“Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church” (Ephesians 1:21-22 NLT).
When I watched people rush at the Capitol, this verse rang through my mind. The enemy wants us to remain divided and stir up hate within. But the devil has already been defeated because of Christ’s death on the Cross. We should be focused on the victory of Jesus as He stormed the gates of hell.
All authority and power have been given to our Savior, and it does not matter who sits in the oval office or any seat of earthly leadership. Jesus reigns and Satan doesn’t stand a chance. The devil will work tirelessly to make us forget Who has already won. But we know Who sits on the throne, and our loyalty lies with Him.
4. God’s Children NEED to Pursue Unity in Christ
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:1-6 NASB).
Satan has done a fantastic job of pitting believers against each other for the sake of politics, when in reality, we are called to pursue peace for the glory of the gospel. Unity, forgiveness and love are not options for the Body of Christ.
We don’t need to agree on everything, but we do need to be kind. We don’t need to trust everyone, but we do need to forgive.
Society wants us to define each other according to our political party, but the only definition that matters is whether we are a treasured child of God. There are democrats who are Christians, just like there are Republican believers too.
If we say otherwise, we are choosing judgment, which is meant to be handled by God. (More on that later…) Instead, we are called to stand together in one spirit, with one purpose – fighting together for the sake of the Good News (Phil 1:27).
Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV). If fellow Christians are constantly showing the world hatred, discord and division, no one will ever desire to be part of that family.
Instead, our Father wants us to remember we are one in His Son. As long as we see each other through the lens of a manmade system, we will never be able to embrace the way our Father sees each of us--equally precious and dearly loved.
5. God Is the Ultimate Judge and Pay Back Belongs to Him
“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD” (Romans 12:17-19 NLT).
When we feel wronged or we see injustice happen, it is easy for us to take matters into our own hands and right the wrong. But God is the final judge. Nothing will get past His righteous throne. He promises to usher in justice and comfort the brokenhearted. He is the source of healing and honor – of love and law. We can trust God as He deals with evil and convicts the heart of man.
And who knows, maybe some Saul’s will be transformed into forgiven Paul’s, all for the glory of God.
6. Do Not Fear, Even as Things Get Uglier
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
It may be surprising to know that things on earth will continue to go downhill as Christ’s return gets closer, but we should not be afraid. It supposed to happen this way as culture pushes God out of the equation. But as darkness increases, we cling to the Light and we know we are secure in Him. Nothing can separate us from His love because our Father is our strong defender.
He reminds us to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33 NLT).
7. Fix Your Mind on What’s Eternally True
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT).
It’s hard to fix our gaze on something we can’t see, but as we have experienced, things of this world will not last. The spiritual side of life, however, has eternal consequences.
As heartache hits our homes and crisis compounds our nation, it’s encouraging to know these things will not always be so. Our trials will produce triumphs. Our struggles will give way to glory. God’s good harvest will come.
And His love will have the final say.
So carry on, Brother or Sister.
And keep these truths close by.
Photo Credit: ©Mediamodifier/Pixabay
Becky Beresford lives in Huntley, IL and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wild boys. She is a writer and speaker with a Master’s Certificate in Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s Daughters to embrace their truest selves in Christ and walk out the gospel truths empowered by God. She would love to connect with you online at BeckyBeresford.com, where you can grab a FREE copy of the Brave Woman Manifesto: Five Things to Tell Yourself When Life Gets Hard. Feel free to follow her and the weekly Brave Women Series on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.
